


Trapped In a Photograph

by sungiesplanet



Category: NCT, NCT (Band)
Genre: 1800s, 20k+ words, @ SM chenji this and that when !?, Across the Years, Alternate Universe - Classical Music, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chenji best besties to ever bestie, Confusion, Couch Cuddles, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Is Gay, Hurts So Good, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Jisung would do anything for Chenle, M/M, Mentioned NCT Dream Ensemble, Mentioned WayV Ensemble, Misunderstandings, Morning Cuddles, NCT 2020, NCT Dream - Freeform, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Not Really Character Death, OT7 NCT Dream, Park Jisung (NCT) is Whipped, Rated G, Sexuality Crisis, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, basically Jisung risking his life for Chenle, by the river, castle on the hill, chenji being lovey dovey in a cabin, chenji come home, chenji fated, chenji in 1800s london, chenji uwu, chenle and jisung are 18, chenle is from the victorian era, chenle so soft, church boy, dear diary, edward elgar - Freeform, fluff fluff fluff, goth jisung, historical romance fiction, i hope this becomes your comfort fic <3, i miss chenji, idk what to tag anymore man i just miss chenji, its really interesting, jisung and chenle go on adventures, jisung is a fucking legend, jisung is from the future, jisung loves his kindle, link to wattpad in description, listen to "salut d'amour" by edward elgar for a good experience, love you thanks for clicking <3, on going, salut d'amour, soft, the dreamies - Freeform, this is one of the most touching things i have ever written, uwu, wattpad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sungiesplanet/pseuds/sungiesplanet
Summary: falling in love with someone is a crazy feeling. whether it's forbidden, complicated, or a secret, we can't do anything about it. but Jisung? he couldn't be crazier for falling for someone who has died decades ago! It all started when he first visited an antique shop and his interests quickly piqued when he saw an old dusty photo; a photograph of a beautiful young man, that he has no idea how he would change his life forever. so, how would things go? well, curiosity killed the cat, and Jisung? he would do anything just to get to know who this man was and why he senses a connection to literally a framed portrait, placed on an old table in an abandoned storage room-in an antique shop, that's for sure. but, is it worth it? Just how far would he go to find true love?
Relationships: ChenJi - Relationship, Chensung, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le, jichen - Relationship, sungle - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Originally posted on my Wattpad @starlikejisung (link below)**

**trapped in a photograph** 🌿🪐🌟 _(alternative title: across the years)_

— jisung + chenle: CHENJI

— 30+ chapters: on going

— historical romance fiction

— time travel alternate universe

**Description:** falling in love with someone is a crazy feeling. whether it's forbidden, complicated, or a secret, we can't do anything about it. but Jisung? he couldn't be crazier for falling for someone who has died decades ago! It all started when he first visited an antique shop and his interests quickly piqued when he saw an old dusty photo; a photograph of a beautiful young man, that he has no idea how he would change his life forever. so, how would things go? well, curiosity killed the cat, and Jisung? he would do anything just to get to know who this man was and why he senses a connection to literally a framed portrait, placed on an old table in an abandoned storage room-in an antique shop, that's for sure. but, is it worth it? Just how far would he go to find true love?

  * **[trapped in a photgraph - chensung](%F0%9F%93%8E%20my.w.tt/dWbRMZeYsbb)**
  * **upvotes ( kudos OK! ) and comments are much appreciated <3**




	2. An Old Photo

{present}

Jisung was in the 2nd month of his 1st year abroad In England when he stepped into the shop that would change his life. Recently having graduated from Vinewood Arts High School, he won a scholarship to attend a prestigious private school named Maude's Broadlands College. It was located in a small community, called Herford, which was located just outside of London.

Things had gone well and he had settled in his small flat that was over a bakery. Besides spending his time involved with school work, he would frequently In his spare time, explore "the town" — a town which prided itself on a small-town feel, being located so close to London proper.

On this particular Sunday afternoon, he wandered into an antique shop that was located just off Downtown iris. He hoped to find something Gothic looking to decorate his rather plain flat. It was a small shop and was packed with antique floor to ceiling. He wondered just how, they could fit so much, in a so little and rather confined place...

He wondered just how, they could fit so much, in a so little and rather confined place  
But on this visit, not much caught his eye. Well, the antique end table somehow did. But once he saw the price of 300 pounds, hi interest quickly waned as he had only about 55 pounds to spend.

"Nothing caught your eye yet, Mister?" Said the elderly shopkeeper in a cockney accent.

"No..." Said Jisung, shaking his head.

"Well, are you looking for something specific?"

Jisung shrugged, "Just decorating my flat is all... trying to find something interesting, I guess.."

"Well, just let me know if you have any questions!" The shopkeeper said, leaving Jisung to his task.

"Well, just let me know if you have any questions!" The shopkeeper said, leaving Jisung to his task  
Eventually, Jisung wandered over to a table with a sign, 'Newly Arrived'.

He was about to turn away when a small photograph in a golden frame caught his eye. it was a very old portrait of a young man, dressed in a creamy white and dark brown fancy attire covered with lace. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, and his hair was done as mullet and softly curled. It appeared to be a wedding or some kind of formal portrait.

Jisung would have put it down, if not for one thing... the young man's face. It was the most beautiful face he had ever seen. It was ethereal. He looked somewhat Eurasian and had high cheekbones, perfectly plump lips, milky skin, and rosy cheeks... or tulip-cheeked, and a set of dark doe eyes that caused his heart to throb madly.

or tulip-cheeked, and a set of dark doe eyes that caused his heart to throb madly  
Jisung found himself unable to look away from the man. Though one thing bothered him about the photograph, the young man in the picture looked somehwhat...sad..his eyes wear empty, or dull, or dead..you name it! Loneliness was the first word that ran through the Goth's head. The energy around it was very strange, somehow.

"Why do i think he's..lonely...." Jisung mused.

The young man in the portrait gave off a sad or even a lonely vibe - somehow yearning for help, silently through his gaze and body language. That vibe was too strong he could feel it around the frame.

In any case, it bugged him that this beautiful creature was unhappy. Jisung, who was open about his sexuality since high school, couldn't remember ever seeing such a beautiful face. ever.

"Just..who are you?" murmured jisung.

"......who could you be?"

Deep in thought, he opened the back of the frame so he could examine the back of the picture, observing for a name or so. Jisung just had to know this young man's name, if anything! And well, luck was on his side, as written on the back in pencil was ;

LeLe Zhong Irenea Ferrer — February 1869

"Irenea..?" Jisung said as he thought.

"Italy is not far off, perhaps he's part Italian..?" The thought that this young man would have Italian blood — but he also somehow looks Korean though or Chinese....it only deepened the mystery. He couldn't really tell. Jisung put the back of the frame in place, turned it around, and smiled.

"Hello lele..would you like to come home with me?" Said Ji, staring at the portrait.

it was labeled 7 pounds. Jisung wasn't sure why, but he just had to have this picture. It was more than the fact that this man was stunningly beautiful, it was much, much more. Something mysterious about it made him curious. But Ji just wasn't sure why.

Portrait in hand, Jisung walked to the cash register and put it down.

"Found something, I see..!" Said the elderly store owner looking at the frame.

Smiling, Jisung said, "I think...I think he needed a home..."

"Oh right! perhaps...do you know where this portrait is from? I got it from the table of the new arrivals!"

The man thought for a moment and appeared to remember something about it.

"Oh yes! Erm... last week, they tore down the mansion... on the old Thomsen estate. The house had been falling apart for ages. The land had been sold to a developer who's going to build a new art gallery. My nephew, who was on the demolition team, found this picture and a box of old junk in the basement. Looked like no one had touched it in over 100 years. The bankruptcy court had sold off everything and wanted the rest disposed of, but, he knew that i may take a few dollars with this so he passed it on to me.."

"...."

"......oh and that will be 7 pounds please!"

Jisung handed the man a 10-pound note, got his change, and left — picture in hand.

As he walked 6 blocks to his flat. He felt a strange giddiness to get his new addition home soon. it was like he wanted to show lele his new home. it was strange since he's probably been dead for decades.

In his small one-bedroom flat, Jisung immediately thought of where to put lele. Only one thing came to mind. His very small bedroom. After a few moments of thought, Jisung hung the picture of lele on the wall next to the bed.

Over the next few nights, as he laid in bed reading, as was his habit before going to bed, his attention would frequently move to the picture of lele.

Ji would sit there and wonder who he was, what his voice sounded like, what color were his eyes. Actually, Jisung was obsessed with that. were they hazel? or brown? and of course, jisung always wondered, why was he therefore unhappy? Jisung found himself loving to look at the picture. He even moved it closer to the head of the bed so he could see it better. it had a strange hold on him, however, he could care less.

{ Jisung's Point Of View }

'I have owned the picture for a week and every passing day it seems to take more and more of a hold on me. He's ethereal in a way, i cannot even begin to describe... just seeing him make my wear heart, want to beat again...' he mused.

i never thought i would even want to be with anyone after Felix. I met him at a party at vinewood arts.

Jisung remembered the feeling in his tummy that night. He felt buzzed.

{FB}

He was leaning against a wall, watching people with a discerning look. His face was a freckled squoval one with piercing ice dark eyes and long messy white-bleached mullet. A moment later he turned and saw me.

He was a rebel like me. i had been with guys before but i never wanted one as much as i wanted him. i couldn't even begin to understand what those glacier-like eyes were doing to me; checking me for every flaw. that just made him even appealing. His bloody red lips were curved in a scowl that sent shivers down my spine.

Before i knew it, i was moving towards him. It was like he was calling to me, and I, I couldn't resist. Much like some siren out of ancient Greek mythology, his pull felt that strong.

i couldn't help but think of the irony of it all. i had come to the party to make a conquest. some drunken freshman guy, who just wanted to see how the other half lived, maybe. But No...tonight, i, was going to be the conquest.

As i approached him, his smile widened. He knew he had me.

"I see you know what you want. i like that in a guy" he said in a sultry tone.

i felt the need to do something, take some initiative. he was well in the process of reducing me to a mewling thing that would happily worship his form. my pride would not stand for it.

i said nothing and looked over him for a moment. Then i stepped forward and put one hand around the back of his neck and the other around his lower waist.

before he could react i pushed my lips towards his and gave him the most passionate peck i could ever muster. it was incredible, my whole body felt like it was on fire. but i had to leave him wanting more and the part of me that wanted to be that mewling thing asserted itself. so i broke it off.

he looked dazed for a moment but quickly recovered. i had momentarily taken control of the moment. Something i suspect, his pride wouldn't tolerate. i was proven right about a second later...stating that " i am his, and his only"

He took my hand and looked me dead in the eyes with a paralyzing look. as i felt myself getting more buzzed, i knew he was dead right.

{FBE}

Within a month after that encounter at the party, we were officially a couple, as we had met up for several dates, talked about anything and everything, and even found out that we had similar tastes in music, movies, and books. some would say that we were twins, based on the fact that we were so much alike. For all of junior year and most of senior year, we were together.

we hang out a lot; spending a very long time at goth clubs, that is. it was great, honestly. making out. what can i say about the 'making out'. i eventually had to learn to study alone as when we did together we nearly always ended up in a make-out sesh. we were addicted to each other - well he, he was addicted to my lips. he wouldn't stop stealing pecks every now and then. i loved him, and i thought that this would be 'the one'.

About a month into senior year, i learned of a competition for a scholarship to Maude's Broadlands College. i heard of it and i got really interested, as it seemed like a very prestigious drama and dance program.

Mentioning it to Felix, he encouraged me to apply for it. and so i did. i filled out the application form, wrote my personal statement, an admission essay, went to the judgment interview, and hoped for the best!

i was informed that i would not receive a result form and a decision reply for several months so i just went on with things as normal. school life was great, so were Felix and i. however, on a particular day, in the beginning of February, on my birthday, i got the letter! fortunately, i had been selected! i never thought i'd win, but i did! i was so happy and excited and went straight to Felix's house. i had to tell him.

"I GOT IT! I WON!"i said holding the acceptance letter as Felix lazily opened the door.

"what?" said Felix, looking puzzled.

i was quite excited.. "the scholarship! a full ride to Broadlands College! outside of London!! isn't that great?"

he smiled and threw his arms around me "that's great baby, I'm so happy for you"

I should have picked up on it back then. there was a brief but subtle change in his expression but i was too happy to really notice.

i did, i did pick up on it soon after, though. he started taking longer to respond back to my texts and calls, he would miss multiple phone calls, his mind seemed somewhere else, he seemed to touch me less and less, even during intimate moments, something seemed to be truly missing. he stopped stealing kisses like he used to. there was no spark at all. the passion seemed to slowly fade away... he had suddenly changed. it was well, it was like a wind that had suddenly shifted from a warm summer breeze to a biting cold autumn wind.

i caught him a month later in a club flirting with another guy. in a rage, i flew up to him, grabbed him by his wrist, and pull him away and out of that god damn place.

{FB}

"care to explain yourself Felix? you've been avoiding me all week and now i find you here flirting with another guy!" i exclaimed, nearly livid.

he stood up straight and took a defiant posture, "we, are done. I'm moving on. i was gonna tell you tomorrow but i guess today's as good as any so.."

i was blown away. hearing him want to break us up sent my emotions into a tailspin. "just like that we're done? we've been together for over a year and a half, lix, and we're suddenly done? why? what is it? the scholarship?!"

he nodded, "yes. the scholarship."

"pardon my faulty memory but, i seem to recall that you encouraged me to apply for it!" i snapped back, suddenly veering back from despair, to anger.

"i did, but i never thought you'd actually win? ...now you'll be in London and I'm gonna be here!"

"lix, i told you, we could skype and id visit you and, and you'd...." i bargained suddenly feeling desperate.

he chuckled mockingly, "so i could only see you only every couple of months.. do i look like the type who'd actually wait for someone? if you fulfill my needs staying by my side then i need to find someone else don't i?"

that felt like a dagger through my heart. i honestly thought he loved me. i hated to cry, especially in public, but the tears burst forth.

"..i thought you loved me? was that, all was to you? just someone to fulfill your needs by giving you attention and loving you?"

he crossed his arms, looking at me like i was a fool. "oh well i loved being with you, i loved it i guess but you need to realize that..."

i didn't give him a chance to finish as i landed my fist punch straight to his nose. he flew backward landing onto the floor. by the time he landed, his nose was gushing blood.

nearly every instinct i had, told me to keep going, to show him what he deserves, what a moron he is, but my already shattered self and wear heart had told me to run. to just run and cry it all out.

That's exactly what i did.

{FBE}

that was the last time i ever saw and spoke to felix.

i was blindsided by him, plain and simple. i had given him my heart and all he did was play with it. crush it. it was all clear now, that i had been played like a fool since the day we first met. the thing is, he was so much like me, but i should have seen it coming. that was so stupid of me. since that day I've been broken. my heart was weary and still, it wasn't until i saw that picture, him, did it begin to beat again.

lele... what could his pretty name be? ...lele appears to be the exact opposite of Felix. he's pretty..very pretty, inside and out kind of pretty, his eyes.. they hold the universe in them, he's ethereal, he radiates brightness.. i could describe him nonstop all day.. i just cant seem to get enough of him. i can't stop staring at him.

Felix, he didn't want a long-distance relationship, his needs, they seem to take priority over everything else. though.. honestly... i find myself in a one anyway — not separated my miles, but by 152 years.

its getting late, and i need to go to sleep, as i have an 8 am class. i take a moment to study lele's face, and once again, i can feel my heartbeat rising.

i take a moment to study lele's face, and once again, i can feel my heartbeat rising  
"152 years.." i say sighing, as i hung the portrait back on the wall.

putting on my nightwear, shutting the candle out, and turning the lights off, i lay down and stare at him- it felt like he was watching over me... i slowly fall asleep, fading into him, deeply, knowing ill dream about him again, right, all i could do was dream, I am indeed, yearning for him, wishing he was next to me..as a line from an old 70s song comes to mind ;

imaginary lovers, never disagree

they always care

they're always there when you need

satisfaction guaranteed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song quoted is "imaginary lover" by The Atlanta Rhythm Section.
> 
> jisung is from the present time 2KXX (2021 etc) - chenle is from the past (1869) so yes, 152 years!
> 
> {FB} means flashback, and {FBE} means flashback ends!


	3. The Box

{Jisung's Point Of View}

call me obsessed if you wish, ill wear the label if you choose to hang it on me, but I can't stop thinking about him. like a ghost, he constantly haunts my thoughts. yes, him. that mysterious, beautiful, young man from 1869. this young beautiful thing that damages my heart the more I see him. today, as I leave my flat and head to school on a rather foggy morning, I think about him. from the old church that is across my flat, to the point where I sit down in class, I still am thinking of him.

i want to get to know him. i want to know more about him. half way through my dance class, it hit me. the old guy at the antique store has said that there was more stuff from the Wen estate. perhaps, there is something more to this lele. as soon as class was over, I headed straight back to the antique store.

entering the store, I found the old gentleman waiting behind the counter with a friendly smile 

entering the store, I found the old gentleman waiting behind the counter with a friendly smile.

"hello, may I help you?" he asks.

"ah... yes.. i was here more than a week ago! i actually bought an old portrait from the Wen estate. you've told me that it also had some stuff that may have been forgotten in their basement.." I asked, my eagerness showing.

he thought for a moment, and then seemed to remember.

"oh yes! that picture of the pretty young man.."

jisung smiles unconsiously. right. he indeed is pretty.

"I remember now! ...you don't want to return it, don't you? because well, you see... all sales are final, I'm afraid."

I shook my head. "no..! actually, I'm interested in checking out what else you may have."

the man tapped his fingers on the counter for a moment, as he appeared to think. 

"hmm... let me see! i sold most of the stuff just the other day to some collector.. some old candlesticks... an end table... OH-! i do have something left actually! follow me, kid!"

as I followed the man, I asked, "what do you know about the estate itself?"

"the Wen family were once quite prosperous. one of them, was even a member of parliament for a time, ages ago! but over the last century or so, their fortunes declined. some scandal there was, some time back! uhm... one of the main heir's, a rather promising young fellow I hear, was killed at the battle of the some, in 1916. the family gradually died off and the last of the passed away in the late 80s.. the estate was completely bankrupt by then. the old house, sat unoccupied for years, as it all wound through the courts. so. the land was sold off to pay off the debts to some developer who as I said, knocked it down, and is currently putting a grocery mart in its place....." he recalled, rummaging around in a dark corner.

"ahh.. here it is!" he said, as he pulled out a small, wooden chest.

it was plain, appearing to be made of maple, and appeared to be about 2 ft by 2 ft, and about a foot high.

"this is the last piece.. a small wooden chest."

"what's in it?"

"haven't the foggiest idea. its locked, and no key was found, sadly." he shrugged.

i had no idea what was in it, but I had to know if something of lele's was in there. 

"alright.. how much?"

"40 pounds!"

I cursed silently. i literally only had 31 pounds with me!

"I have 31 pounds, how about that?" I said, as I put my hand on his shoulder. 

just a casual touch does wonders sometimes, the say. because it mustve worked as he nodded his head. "alright, 31 pounds it is!"

I reached over and picked up the chest. it had something inside as it had some weight. but I was able to carry it. after paying the man, I happily heaved my bounty home. i could only thank my lucky stars that he accepted my offer. i half expected to have to leave and scrape together some more money to be honest.

speaking of money, I needed to find a job. at least a part time one. I made a mental note to start looking the next day. the chest itself seemed to grow heavier the longer I carried it. but I finally managed to drag it home and put it on my kitchen table.

but now I had another problem. It was locked and I had no key. I could use my precious scissors and spend hours trying to jimmy the thing open, but instead I took a hammer and smashed the front of it. no point in wasting time.

having destroyed an antique chest to get at its contents — like the violent Korean-American I don't deny being, I opened up the lid. on top was the faded remains of a once white silken garment. it had a small identifying pin tag cloth on it with "𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓵𝓮" sewed onto it.

"chenle... so that's your pretty name lele..?" i thought.

It practically fell apart in my hands, but I could tell it was once very beautiful. I felt a stab of sorrow seeing the once elegant wear, crumble in my hands.

I tried to imagine chenle wearing this on some fancy occasion. I could feel my heart flutter as I held the remains of a once elegant garment in my hands. I think it was just because of knowing that he, lele, once wore this...

the first layer had a journal of some sort, a frame, and some news paper as well, i suppose those items were to hide the secretive journals well under mayhaps. 

below that, were a number of objects 

below that, were a number of objects. they appeared to have been thrown in there haphazardly and with little care. On top was an old, but well preserved book. It had a dark, forest-green, bound cover, with what appeared to be decorative pillars. The spine read Moore's Lalla-Rookh. On the inside was written Chenle Irenea Zhong-Ferrer.

"lallarookh? doesn't that mean "tulip-cheeked"..? it is an endearment frequently used in Persian poetry, i think, i've read that somewhere... what could that imply? lallarookh... got engaged to a young king.. lallarookh goes forth to meet him... wait... but falls in love with a poet from an entourage... right! i've read that in history class.. dumb jisungie" i thought. "he indeed seems tulip cheeked... pretty little chenle... OH! right! let me check the book out!"

a quick google check told me that, the book was an 1817 oriental romance. Well, now I know he's literate and seems to enjoy romance. below that, was a ragged 1852 copy of William Shakespeare's, sonnet 20, and an old newspaper with the headline "the creation of the first national basketball league: basketball comes into recognition - the beginning of a new era!" ,and there were three other books.

curious, I pulled out another worn book and opened it to the title page.

it read. "The Undying one; Sorrows of Rosalie and other poems - By Caroline Norton."

I paged through the book to find the said poem, then I read the first few lines.

"My heart is like a wither'd nut,

Rattling within its hollow shell;

You cannot open my chest and put

Anything fresh within it to dwell."

It was about heartbreak, something I was all too painfully familiar with. I identified with the poem immediately and found it to be quite excellent. I gently put it and the rest of the books aside for the moment.

next, was a set of small crystal glass jars. each contained some colored substance. 

opening one, it faintly smelled of lavender. I guessed these were perfumes, oils and other cosmetical items. I found a cracked hand mirror, a silver comb i think, a tonic, some tweezers and a few other small items I couldn't identify.

I couldn't help but feel a thrill as I knew I was going through the very things that sat in his bedroom. though, I did feel somewhat guilty as these were his personal things. I had bought them, but in my mind they still belonged to him.

there were some hair pins as well, a pocketwatch, a victorian gardenia & posy perfume, and a beautiful looking broach. under that, appeared to be a small sketch book. In it were charcoal drawings of landscapes, they somehow looked like... the park that was on the edge of town.

the park that was on the edge of town   
so, he was an artist as well. the pictures were very good, and he had a particular attention to detail. I was very impressed. next to that, was a comb that appeared to be made of Ivory. I found myself, almost without thinking, running it through my hair. It made me feel close to him. next to that was another but wooden brush. I was about to put it down, until something caught my eye.

It was a single strand of hair, twisted around the bristles. my heart jumped at this find. I quickly pulled out the long strand of semi-dark hair and held it up. It was about 4 or 5 inches long, and was a beautiful single strand of hair.

i was never a romantic person but, finding a single strand of his hair, for an instant the gulf of years between us, vanished. he was here with me, even if its only a tiny piece of him. that may seem insignificant, but having a tiny piece of him, makes all the difference to me. me, jisung, the dark cynical goth, thrilled about a single strand of hair. 

I held it up to the light to see if I could tell what color it was. the picture was sort of black and white, so I could not tell if his hair was brown or black. a close examination revealed that he had semi-dark, sort of chestnut brown hair. long lovely brown hair. I could scarcely believe he was here with me.

not wanting to loose what I had, I carefully placed the single strand of hair in an envelope. I truly must be nuts if I'm saving the hair of a man who's probably been dead some decades ago. I'm being totally fanboyish right now but- my heart is broken, I'm alone in a foreign country, and i have no friends here, so I'm entitled to go a little insane. but all I have to do is look at that picture, look into those eyes, his lovely doe eyes, and it doesn't seem so crazy anymore.

below that was a piece of white linen. pulling that aside, I was surprised to see a number of small books. pulling one out, I didn't see any title listed on the book. not knowing what was inside, I decided to open a random page.

October 3rd, 1866.

It rained most of the day. The weather since last Monday has been rather cold, grey, and rainy.

I miss the sunshine.

But, that did now keep them from the inn, at least. We kept busy well into the evening, until the last drunkard had departed. I worry sometimes about them, some of the soldiers look very rough.

They eye me constantly and some even grab me when my father isn't looking. But father, being a decorated ex-army officer, knows how to handle them.

I had hoped to see my friend, injoon, today. But with the rain and the crowd, I didn't quite find a time to call upon him. If it's not raining tomorrow, I think I shall go riding out past Pennington lane. No more for today.

My heart practically stopped. I pulled out another book, and there was yet another entry.

July 19th, 1863.

It has been one week since we buried mother. I thank the lord that he took her quickly and her suffering from the sickness was not prolonged. The Reverend Watts, said a special prayer for her today in church. Sadly, it did only little to lift my spirits. In fact the spirits of me, father and my brother, kun, are all very low at the moment. We miss her terribly. That's all I feel like writing today.

I couldn't believe it. Not only did I have his things, a strand of his hair, but I had his journals. I could actually get to know him. Put up a personality to go with that pretty face. I was thrilled beyond imagination. Too thrilled, I started rampaging through it eager for more, til I found some old worn out photographs, of a young lad and kid. 

'he's pretty.. whom could he be...to lele?' I thought. 

looking at the next photo 

looking at the next photo... I couldn't describe how I felt, but it was a moment of silence and moment of extreme joy. magical, is what it was. a photo of baby chenle, it must be...

I've carefully placed the photographs back into an envelope and went back to looking through the journals, I quickly found the earliest one and set it on my night stand, along with the Thomas Moore book 

I've carefully placed the photographs back into an envelope and went back to looking through the journals, I quickly found the earliest one and set it on my night stand, along with the Thomas Moore book. I actually planned on reading all the books, but would start with that one. It would be a great change of pace from the thriller novels and graphic novels I've been reading. 

by now it was dinner time, so I decided to go down to the local pub to eat. I had a dinner consisting of a few pints of ale, with some steak, and a cheesy ramyeon.   
I've grown fond of that particular dish. 

as I walked home, I passed a message board. people looking to hire, frequently put messages that they are 'seeking employees'. I looked at it, as I found myself needing a part time job. 

"Lab assistant wanted. No experience needed but must be adventurous and discrete. Pay is lousy and hours long, but possible great rewards!" 

below that, was the phone number and email address for someone called "Professor Sikowitz". even odder than the manner the note was worded, it looked as if it were written in crayon. A pink one no less. I was tempted to keep going and forget it, but something inside of me told me to grab the note. I hastily pulled the note off the board and stuffed it in my pocket. 

I had no idea what to expect from that job, if I got it. but my thoughts returned quickly to chenle as it frequently did these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part of the poem that Jisung reads "My heart is like a withered nut" Is written by Caroline Norton.


End file.
